BAKING-CARROT AND ORANGE CAKE

CARROT AND ORANGE CAKE:

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Good afternoon Little Ones! How are you all? I'm back again with another baking blog post! I was planning on doing a product review; but seeing that I wanted to bake, that's what I did instead! But don't worry! Product reviews are coming next week!
I didn't want to bake something that was plain and simple, let's be real here; that's not how I roll! Many of you will know that by now, but for my new fans, I'm not the typical blogger, have a scroll through my older blog posts! Anyhow, off topic, let's get baking! That's why your here right?

TIPS BEFORE BAKING:

The recipe book I was following was excellent, but I felt there were some simple tips that could've been added, just to make the baking experience even easier. For instance, it states that you mix all the ingredients at the same time ... Please don't do this. I find it a lot easier if you mix all the wet ingredients, and then add the dry ingredients. First and foremost, mix the sugar and butter together, that way when you add the other wet ingredients; it's easier to combine. Just a little tip.

EQUIPMENT:

• Wooden spoon,
• Large bowl,
• Medium bowl,
• Sieve,
• 2lb loaf tin
• Grease-proof paper.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 orange,
• 150 grams butter (soft)
• 150 grams light mascovado sugar 
• 175 grams grated carrot
• 2 large eggs,
• 200 grams self-raising flour,
• 1 tsp baker powder,
• Half tsp ground mixed spice
• Honey (OPTIONAL)

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan, or 160 degrees gas. 
2. Prepare the loaf tin-lightly butter the inside and place grease proof paper on top,
3. Prepare your fruit and vegetable. Grate the orange peel and place to one side, then cut the orange into segments and diminish the pith.
   Only grate the carrot and place to one side.
4. Add the butter and sugar into a large bowl and cream together until fully combined, add the other wet increments: carrot, orange peel, eggs, mix until fully combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients: flour, mixed spice, baking powder and fold in until combined.
6. Place the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for an hour,
7. Take the cake out of the oven, place the orange segments on top, and glaze honey on top of the orange (OPTIONAL), and place back into the oven for 5 more minutes. 
8. After the 5 minutes is up, let the cake cool for 30 minutes and enjoy with your favourite cream or custard! 

Well, this is the end of another blog post! I hope you enjoyed this one! I've already had a nibble of my cake, and I love it! I can't wait to have some more after dinner! If you want some more baking blog posts, please do let me know, and I will accommodate to your needs. If you want something else other than baking, again, use the comment section down below, or my social media handles! I love you all so very much, and I will see you again Monday with another blog post!
Remember to stay safe and stay tuned! :) x x x

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BAKING-MERINGUE

MERINGUE MOUNTAINS:

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Good afternoon Little Ones! How are you all today? I thought that it was about time to give you something that I started with ... BAKING! It's been some time, but since the move, and not feeling confident with myself, I stuck with topics I knew I could talk about in a creative way. BUT, this is a new year, and I love baking, besides, I've been doing it since the age of 8 ... So let's not stop anytime soon.
One of my favourite deserts has to be meringue, but it also has to be PERFECT.
I'm really particular, it has to be crunchy on the outside, and slightly chewy in the centre, what are your thoughts? Without any further or do, let's get baking!

TIPS BEFORE BAKING:

Meringue isn't simple. Please get this into your mind beforehand, it takes a while to perfect, and a LOT of patience. You may be thinking, 'but it's only eggs' ... Yes you are right, but if you want the PERFECT meringue, you need to ensure that the egg whites are completely separate and that NOTHING is touching them, otherwise when you go to whisk, it won't hold.
You also need to expect that you need to be patient, time is key ... Depending on the size you are going for, it's going to take a LONG time in the oven. And it doesn't stop there, you need to let them cool for around 30 minutes; believe me, if you take them off straight away, the bottom will tear right off, and ruin your pudding. 

Finally, check that the texture is correct, the famous way to do so, is turn the bowl upside-down ... If it doesn't fall out then you are good to go. But DON'T use the mixture if it's still sliding all over the place, it won't rise, and who want's a flat meringue? Not me.

Now that we have the lecture out of the way, let's get baking!

EQUIPMENT:

• Glass large bowl,
• Whisk,
• Large pot, 
• Small pot,
• Sieve,
• Piping bag,
• Circle nozzle to put into the piping bag, 
• Baking tray,
• Grease-proof paper.

INGREDIENTS:

• 240 grams Icing sugar, 
• 4 large egg whites, 
• 1tsp Vanilla extract (OPTIONAL),
• Strawberry's (OPTIONAL),
• Red current jelly (OPTIONAL).

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 140 degrees (fan), or 3 (gas),
2. Prepare your baking trays, place your grease-proof paper onto the trays,
3. Separate the egg whites, place them in a large bowl and whisk until foamy,
4. Sieve in the icing sugar until combined, (keep whisking),
5. Place the bowl over a large pan of slightly simmered water, keep whisking until tough peaks form,
6.  (OPTIONAL) add the vanilla extract,
7. Place your egg white mixture in the piping bags, and start piping your meringue mountains onto the trays, (TIP-start in the middle and slowly make your way up to the tip, the slower you go the bigger your meringue mountain will be),
8. Place in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes,
9. (OPTIONAL) prepare your topping, heat the red current jelly in a small pan until runny, chop how many strawberry's you wish, and place them to the side,
10. Let the meringue cool for 30 minutes and decorate,
11. EAT!

Right Little Ones! This is the end of the blog post! I really do hope you enjoyed this one! I know some of you wanted a product review; but as mentioned previously, I haven't baked for a while ... And this really makes me content! If you want more baking blog posts, then please do let me know! If you want to see something different you know what to do! Use the comment section down below, or my social media handles are down below!

I hope you relish the rest of your day, and I will see you all Friday! For now, stay safe and stay tuned! :) x x x 

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SHOPPING-ORIGINS HAUL

ORIGINS SKINCARE HAUL:

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Good afternoon Little Ones! Rise and shine! For the majority of you, you've just come back from the Christmas break, and heading back to either, School, College, University or work. I took to Instagram and a tone of people wanted me to write a blog post of what I purchased the other day, a mini haul.
I've never written a haul on this blog before, so I have no idea how I'm going to layer it out, I think I'm going to state what the products are, and why I purchased them; whilst interjecting lovely photographs.
Without and further or do, let's get on with the haul!

MAKE A DIFFERENCE-PLUS+ MOISTURISER: 

Fundamentally, I originally went into Origins to purchase a moisturiser, anything extra was a bonus product. My skin has been exceedingly dry recently, and my typical Clarins moisturiser wasn't doing the job; my skin was angry with the weather, cracking up, and  dry patch galore. The breaking point was when it took me 30 minutes to apply my foundation, enough was enough! It was time to venture out into the world of creams. Seeing that I own several Origins products, and I've never had a negative experience overall; I thought that they were my port of call. I headed into my local John Lewis, and dashed over to the Origins counter, a lovely lady greeted me, and I told her what I needed. I loved that she was so relatable, and showed me several moisturisers which would benefit my extremely dry skin. She let me try the products before purchasing, and I adored the texture, really thick and nourishing for the skin; which sounded perfect, just what I needed. 

NEVER A DULL MOMENT SCRUB: 

But, I suddenly thought, how am I going to diminish my dry patches? Moisturising will aid the issue, but won't get rid of them on a permanent basis. My Clearasil pads were great, but after a while, they really started to suck the moisture out of my skin, (which is what I think caused this entire fiasco). I started asking the woman, what would be best to exfoliate my skin? I have very dry skin, as you already know; but I also suffer with sensitive skin, she automatically whipped out this product; the packaging is exquisite, and the product itself smells heavenly! Again, she let me try before purchasing, just to see if I liked it, and you guessed it ... I did! I'm not going to go into too much detail, as I want to write a full on review, and demonstrate how I use this in a future video; but it was worth the purchase! 

HIGH-POTENCY NIGHT-A-MINS CREAM: 

Lastly, before I was about to purchase my products, it occurred to me that I don't have a dedicated night-cream, but before I could say anything she handed me a free full sized product, which just so happened to be a night-cream, for dry skin! This was protocol for them, but she tailored it to my specific skin type; which I really appreciated. It was also the product she was recommended me, when I entered the store; so I know that she was being genuine.
I was extremely satisfied with my purchases, and I've booked in a facial, as I think their may be a mask that'll enter my skincare collection. Overall, these products were worth my hard earned money, and purchasing skincare is something that's always made me happy. I adore hunting for new products, I just which my skin wasn't such a nightmare to work with!

That's it for today's blog post! And yes, it's laid out differently, I want to experiment with my Blog before I undergo re-designing it from the ground up; please tell me what you think, and if you have any suggestions on what you want it to look like, use the comment section down below, or my social media handles. I also hoped you enjoyed this read! Not something I normally write about, but I love that I tried something new, if you want more hauls, then you know what to do!
I have another blog post coming out Wednesday, you can expect a product review on one of these beauties!
I love you all so very much! I will see you very soon! Stay safe and stay tuned Little Ones! :) x x x

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MODELLING

HOW I STARTED MODELLING:

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Good afternoon Little Ones! How have you all been? Third blog post this week! I feel so proud that I finally have a routine involved with my Blog! If you don't already know, I will be posting every: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that's the aim I'm sticking to, I need to stay consistent. Any how, let's move onto today's blog post! I've received a tone of messages regarding: how I got into modelling, do I still do it, is it your main job? All those questions will be answered today! So, without further or do, let's get reading.

THE BEGINNING:

We all start somewhere, but for me, I never had the initial idea of modelling, I'm 5ft4 ... Which automatically determines never getting into the industry. Any how, I remember sitting in town, and my fiance suggested taking photographs of me, (which I never did)-I was too shy and timid for anyone to do that.
But I felt great that day, the sun was shining, I was rocking out Chris's sunglasses, and decided to strike a few poses. We only took a couple, he showed me the outcomes; and I didn't think I looked half-bad, it then sprung to me, why don't I try modelling, it doesn't have to be serious, I could get into contact with a few photographs and see what they think. Chris thought that it would be a great way to boost my confidence in relation to my physical appearance, and overall diminish a section of my anxiety. 

For the first few weeks, I kept Chris taking my photos, as I was comfortable with him, after that it was time for my first shoot. I had learnt what poses looked best on my physique, and what I felt comfortable with. 

June 2017 was my first London shoot with a professional photographer, who I immediately felt at ease with, he was kind, and exceedingly easy to talk to; which helped when I showed him what look I was going for. At first I was nervous, as I had no idea what he was thinking, but he stated that despite my height; I had great potential. You could say that he was being nice, but he wasn't paid for this shoot, it wasn't like he was getting a large sum of money, he was genuine.

IS IT MY JOB?

As much as I enjoy modelling, I can't see myself doing it full-time. Simply because I have other personal hobbies I relish more, maybe in the near future; but I want to create something, instead of having my picture taken. That's not saying that I'm stopping, as I still do enjoy it, but I feel that I need to become more confident in my own skin, before a sign a contract.

I know many of you like the images I post on Instagram, and to be honest, knowing that you love them, makes me feel so content. I'm so pleased to know that I have over  5000 followers due to my modelling pictures! 

Like I've mentioned previously, when I feel comfortable with myself I may look into going into modelling full-time; as I believe it will help me grow, and love myself as a person. Not being vein, but loving yourself is the most important thing you can do, I just haven't got there yet.

WHAT WAS MY FAVOURITE SHOOT?

This is the easiest question to answer, without a doubt Rome was my favourite photo-shoot! I initially went there on holiday with Chris, and I managed to get into contact with a photographer that was working, he came to the apartment we were staying in, and proceeded to take some photographs of me! I was so honoured to work with him, and he managed to capture angles of me, I never thought of. He was extremely patient and understanding, and done a perfect job.

DO I HAVE ANYTHING PLANNED?

I do indeed! I have made arraignments with several photographs in London throughout the year, and I can't wait to show you the final outcomes! It's nothing secretive, I just need to set a final date for my first shoot of the year in January/February time; which will be with the same photographer I worked with, back in June last year. I have several mood boards planned, but they correlate with the time of year I'm shooting. Besides, I want an element of surprise for you lovely lot! 

Anyhow, this concludes today's blog post, I hope you enjoyed this little read, something very different from what I normally post. But I wanted something other hand a product review! I do have things cooking in the kitchen, so stay tuned for that! Coming later next week! 

If you want to see modelling updates, or what a dedicated post on a shoot I've participated in, then please do let me know, and I will do that for you. 

Also, please inform me if you want me to write something specific, leave a comment down below, or utilise my social media handles.

Please enjoy the rest of your day, and I will see you in the next blog post! Remember to stay safe, and stay tuned! :) x x x

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YSL MATTE LIPSTICK REVIEW

219 YSL MATTE LIPSTICK REVIEW

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Good evening Little Ones! How has your day been so far! I have my week planned out, and it's looking positive, I'm just hoping that I stay this organised throughout the year! As requested, many of you wanted a review of my current favourite lipstick, and that so happens to be ANOTHER YSL product, which isn't an issue for me; as I adore their products. If you want to read a detailed review on this wonder, then keep on reading.

THE PACKAGING: 

Yet again, YSL never fail to satisfy me when it comes to their beautifully packaged products, depending on the finish of the lipstick; determines the design. Their matte lipsticks are protected by a block of illuminating gold; with the classical YSL emblem, portraying that this is their creation. Again, that doesn't take my by surprise, this is their image: clean, elegant and captivating. Seeing this golden goddess in your make-up creation makes you feel proud, it stands out from the crowd. 

On the other hand, the lid comes off effortlessly, but ensures proper protection if you were to drop this lipstick. If I had to critique, I would suggest that they put the colour of the actual lipstick at the bottom,l this way it makes it easier to differentiate what the colour is, whereas you have to read the shade name to ensure that you have the right lipstick.

Other than that, this lipstick gets a 10/10 on presentation, little is more in this industry, in my opinion any way.

THE PRODUCT:

Now to the main event! Over the years I have equated an array of lipsticks, I know the features that make a fantastic lipstick, vice-versa. The elements that ensure you have the perfect lipstick entail: long staying power, high pigmentation, comfortable to wear, easy to apply and doesn't bleed. You'll be pleased to know that this YSL lipstick in the shade 219 ticks all the boxes. When I first applied this lipstick, it went on like a dream, it's exceedingly soft and creamy; which is strange for a matte lipstick. The diamond shape applicator made it really easily to apply, and managed to reach the awkward places of my mouth; being the inner corners. The pigmentation of this wonder is out-of-this-world! One swipe and you look like a sexy senorita!

As portrayed in the images above, this is what this lipstick looks like on the lip, it does have a slight blue undertone, which can enhance yellow teeth; but I didn't have this issue. Now for the real part of the test! How long did it take to bleed? And it didn't, not once! Which really shocked me, especially with a bright red lipstick, I had no lip-liner on, just this lipstick alone, and it didn't bleed into my foundation; which was amazing! 

This lipstick was super comfortable throughout the day, didn't crack or make me want to take it off my mouth. I know with some lipsticks they can dry out your lips, but not this one, which again, is fantastic for a pure matte lipstick. 

Last but not least, the longevity of this product is outstanding, I applied this to my lips at the beginning of the day, and didn't have to do a touch up until 3 in the afternoon. When it came to taking it off, it wouldn't budge. This lipstick even left a beautiful rose stain the next morning; which I used as a lipstick. That being said, if you don't want pink lips the next morning, just place another lipstick on top. 

PRICE:

Now onto the price, this lipstick retails for, £28 ... Which is I believe the most expensive lipstick I own? Might even top one of my Chanel prices. Yes it's an expensive lipstick, but the pure quality of the product really shines through. It ticks all the boxes in lipstick land! To find a product that does all those to a high standard is remarkable! Pick this up when you can, they offer phenomenal shades, and look great on all skin tones. 

Although, if this is out of your price range, I do have a dupe blog post and video coming out this January! So stay tuned for that Little Ones. 

If you are interested in purchasing this product, click the link below! 

https://www.yslbeauty.co.uk/makeup/lips/lipsticks/rouge-pur-couture-the-mats/1022YSL.html

That's it for today's blog post, I hope you enjoyed the read, I loved writing it! I can't wait to show you what I'm posting on Friday! Something from different from a review, don't worry! 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! Stay safe and stay tuned Little Ones! :) x x x

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2017 IS OVER BRING ON 2018

2018 I'M COMING FOR YOU

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Good evening Little Ones! 2017 has drawn to a close, say hello to 2018! How were your evening celebrations? Great I hope! It was time to take a break from University work, and focus on my true love ... My Blog! Let's kick the year off with what I expect from 2018, and what my personal goals and ambitions are. I have already uploaded a video on this, so if you want to watch that then click here! If not, then carry on reading!

WHAT I EXPECT FROM 2018:

Needless to say, every year entails hiccups, more often than not; but it's how we deal with those bumps on the road, that help us grow as an individual. In terms of what I expect from 2018, is that it hands me challenges; without leaving a negative impact on me, I also expect a happier surrounding from other people! Nothing is worse than living in a negative aura. 

What else is there to be said in this segment? I'm easily pleased, as long as you respect me, I will respect you. 

MY GOALS:

Let's start this section off with my biggest ambition! I want to finish writing my book! I've had to pick it up and put it down, I found it hard to manage my time effectively in 2017; but I need that to change for 2018. I don't want to say "new year new me"; but I do want to turn over a new leaf; and start over. 

For me, finishing writing my book would make me exceedingly happy; if this is the only aim I accomplish, that will satisfy me 100%. 

Evidently I do have other goals I want to achieve, one of those being to, maintain my constant grades for university, and finish my second year with another first. I did it last year, now for repeating it for this year, and in my third. 

Let's not stop there! I wish to refurbish my entire blog website ... I have massive plans around June/July! New designs, illustrations and interaction! I want to be more active on my blog; let's address the elephant in the room. There were time-frames where I wouldn't post for months at a time. And I have no-one to blame but myself; I should've managed my time, my blog is where I started; and I should have never let it go. But this is the year where I will be posting 3 TIMES A WEEK! MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY! I might even post more, but they are my DEDICATED days; and I WILL NOT break them! I want to be consistent, and grow, I can't do that without sticking to this.
I love you all so much, and I need to respect that I can't leave for long periods of time, and expect you to stay loyal. 

Now for the last goal ... It's personal to me, and this may take years, but if I can improve slightly I will be content. I need to PUSH myself to be more social, behind the computer screen, and camera I'm an extremely awkward and timid person. I've riddled with anxiety and depression. Not as bad as it has been, I've been working on that for years. But it's effected the way I communicate with others. I want to be able to make friends easier, and some people will read that and think, 'pathetic', but I find it so hard to mingle with people. I overshare and trust people too quickly, but I want to be more confident, and not care so much about what people think of me. I have the support of my Fiance, close friend circle, my family and you guys. 

Now let's work together and complete our goals! We will grab 2018 by the core and kick it's butt! Why not make it the best year yet?! Let's do it! 

I hope you enjoyed this blog post, I loved writing it! I love you all so bery much, and I will see you Wednesday with a classic product review! Unless you want something different? Let me know! Stay safe and stay tuned Little Ones! :) x x x 

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